YOU’VE had your morning coffee and healthy power breakfast. Next on the day’s agenda is to finish off that killer workout. After all, it’s summer and you need to double up to look good for that planned beach trip.
Problem is, you can’t seem to find the energy to get things going. There are simply those days when you have to drag yourself to hit the gym. Perhaps you’ve over exerted yourself at work. Maybe it’s a lack of motivation. You can’t seem to explain but the lethargy is real. It’s something you have to deal with.
This, perhaps, is the reason people have turned to pre-workout supplements. Packaged mostly in small tubs and in powder form, simply dump a scoop or two into a shaker bottle, add water and let the pixie dust work its magic.
But what really do these pre-workout drinks contain? Are they necessary for us to reach our fitness and physique goals?
There are a ton of different brands out in the market, but generally, most will contain all or some of the following ingredients in various permutations and combinations; caffeine, branched chain amino acids (BCAA), beta-alanine and creatine monohydrate.
Caffeine is king when it comes to pre-workout drinks. The energy boosting effects of caffeine are widely recognized. When your coffee just won’t cut it and you need that extra kick, caffeine might just drag you out of the couch and onto the squat rack, treadmill or pavement.
BCAAs are conducive to creating an anabolic environment—or in simple terms, it promotes muscle growth. The three BCAAs—valine, leucine and isoleucine help prevent muscle breakdown and regulate protein synthesis.
For increased muscle endurance there’s beta-alanine which allows for more intense workouts for longer periods as it helps in delaying muscle fatigue. And lastly, creatine monohydrate works on your explosive strength, making for heavier, explosive lifts.
These are just some of the things you can look for in nutrition labels of pre-workout drinks if you want to maximize your workouts. taurine, tyrosine, L-arginine, carbohydrates and electrolytes are some of the other things you may find in pre-workout drinks.
If you are serious about taking your workouts to the next level, pre-workout drinks are something to consider. However, be diligent in reading nutrition labels. If there is an ingredient for instance that seems unfamiliar to you, do some research and find out what it is. Also, check serving sizes very carefully and assess your tolerance for the listed ingredients. If for instance brand A pre-workout contains 150 milligrams of caffeine per scoop, and you have a low caffeine tolerance—just a little bit gets you jittery—perhaps you can start with half a scoop or even less, just to be on the safe side. For reference, a cup of coffee contains between 80 mg to 100 mg of caffeine.
Now if on the other hand, you are fully motivated and oozing with natural energy without having to rely on pre-workout a supplement, that’s a good thing as well.
Whatever gets the job done with utmost efficiency will always be the right decision.